The global weather event fuelling the catastrophic bushfires this summer is being blamed for massive locust swarms devastating parts of East Africa and creating a food security crisis.
The phenomenon, known as the Indian Ocean Dipole, has been blamed for warmer waters in the western parts of the Indian Ocean and is the same weather event that contributed to extremely hot and dry conditions throughout the devastating bushfire season this summer.
Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya are currently experiencing the worst locust swarms in decades, with the insects able to consume enough food for millions of people in a single day.
Just like warnings of more severe bushfires in Australia, experts have warned climate change is likely to see Africa hit by more and more frequent locust invasions.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has described the current locust invasion as "an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods" in the East Africa and Horn of Africa regions.
For Ethiopia and Somalia, it is the worst locust invasion for 25 years and it is the worst in Kenya for 70 years.
Global weather conditions have created perfect conditions for large locust swarms.
How the phenomenon fuels locust swarms
The Indian Ocean Dipole has played a significant role in creating conditions for the locusts, according to FAO locust expert Keith Cressman.
"Locusts are entirely integrated with nature, so they depend very much on weather and environmental conditions," he told the ABC's PM program.
"The increased frequency of cyclones in the Indian Ocean is a very significant factor in all of this — as you've seen in Australia, this has contributed to your wildfires that you've been facing for several months."
Mr Cressman said that just like the prediction Australia would continue to see hotter, drier weather and worsening bushfire seasons due to climate change, Africa would see more locusts.
"I think we can expect to see an increase frequency of desert locust outbreaks, like what we're facing now."
Climate change was driving extreme weather variability, according to climate scientist Abubakr Salih Babiker from the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre in Nairobi, Kenya.
"In 2019, we alerted people to the potential impact of drought and we ended the year with alerts for flooding and locusts and things like that," he said.
"We are seeing more things like that and they are definitely related to climate change."
A threat to food security
Mr Cressman said the danger of increased locust invasions was the threat to food security.
He said 1 square kilometre of locusts could consume enough food for 35,000 people in one day.
But most swarms were much larger.
"There was a swarm in Kenya earlier this year that was 40 kilometres long and 60 kilometres wide," he said.
"Its potential to eat food would be the equivalent to about 82 million people in a single day."
In its latest assessment of the disaster, the FAO warned South Sudan and Uganda were also at risk and new swarms were forming in Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen.
But the most pressing concern is the new locust breeding cycle, which is likely to hit the region in time for the start of the next growing season, in March.
